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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25437730">Meerglas</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princess_Jules_von_Schweetz/pseuds/Princess_Jules_von_Schweetz'>Princess_Jules_von_Schweetz</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel), DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, M/M, Rating May Change, Robot Feels, Romantic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 07:16:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,014</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25437730</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princess_Jules_von_Schweetz/pseuds/Princess_Jules_von_Schweetz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Clear sees Ren for the first time after becoming a human and that stirs up some intense emotion.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clear/Ren (DRAMAtical Murder)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Meerglas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> It was early morning and Clear was walking along the beach. It was the end of winter and still too early in the year for other residents to visit. So, he walked alone. </p><p> The wind tussled his hair. He was looking for new pieces of sea glass for his collection. Since the beach had been mostly vacant for a few months, he was having better luck at finding pieces since there was no one else hunting for it. </p><p> “Oh!” He exclaimed and crouched to get a closer look. His eyes hadn’t deceived him: it was a large lump of navy-blue sea glass. He plucked it up and rubbed the sand from it with his gloved thumb. He smiled while marveling at it. Most of the pieces he found were white or light green. </p><p> Clear added the glass to the modest collection he had found today. </p><p> He walked home to the sound of seagulls. </p><p><br/>
</p><p> “I’m home,” Clear called out to his empty house when he went inside. He took his boots off and tapped the sand off of them into the tray by the door. He rolled down the bottoms of his pants and went upstairs to his room. </p><p> He’d cleaned most of his home since the fall of Oval Tower. After the dust settled and life returned to normal for everyone, Clear found he had a lot of time on his hands. He had kept himself busy by cleaning his collection of glass bottles and other shiny things, and expanded his collection out of his room. At first, he worried that he was doing something wrong. He thought perhaps doing this was disrespectful to his grandfather’s memory. But his grandfather never told him to keep his collection in his room, it had been something he’d done on his own out of respect. For the longest time, Clear found himself only staying in his room because he felt that the rest of the home didn’t belong to him. So, as he cleaned the home and the outside of it, he added his own personal affects to the rest of the house. He did, however, leave his grandfather’s room undisturbed. </p><p> Clear prepared a simple meal and a cup of tea. He sat at the dinner table and said, “Thanks for the food,” before digging in. The sounds of him occasionally setting down his cup and clinking the steel chopsticks against the bowl were the only sounds in the still, cold house. </p><p><br/>
</p><p> Clear decided he was going to visit Aoba-san since it had been a while since he’d last paid a visit, and he missed them. Aoba-san and Tae-san had become like family to him. They, as well as Koujaku-san and Mizuki-san, were the reasons that he hadn’t gone back to sleep. Even if him waking up had been an accident, Clear took it as a sign that his life wasn’t meant to be over yet. </p><p> Clear stopped at a market to pick up groceries for the meal he wanted to make for them. Clear loved testing his culinary skills, but he knew that Tae-san and Aoba-san most preferred simple, comfort meals. So, he was looking vegetable to make hotpot. He was picking out a daikon radish when he heard someone say his name. </p><p> “Clear!” Aoba called out to him. Clear smiled cheerfully and looked over at Aoba. He noticed someone he hadn’t seen before standing next to him. This other person was just a tad taller than Aoba. He had thick dark blue hair and was avoiding eye-contact. He looked uncomfortable and was shyly rubbing his arm. Clear was intrigued. </p><p> “Aoba-san,” Clear waved. “I was just on my way to your house to cook dinner,” Clear said. </p><p> “I’m sure Granny will love to hear that. She sent me over to pick up udon for dinner, but if you’re cooking, then we’ll have udon another night!” Aoba’s eyes crinkled at the sides. “You haven’t met Ren yet, have you?” Aoba said. </p><p> “Of course, I’ve met Ren-san. I’ve known him as long as I’ve known you, Aoba-san,” Clear said, cocking his head to the side. Aoba scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. </p><p> “Well… I suppose you have, but he’s a little different now,” Aoba’s voice petered at the end, looking back at the quiet one whose cheeks were turning red. </p><p> “Huh?” Clear said, still not understanding what Aoba was getting at. Clear narrowed his eyes and realized Aoba wasn’t wearing the bag he usually carried Ren in. He looked quizzically at the taller guy. </p><p> “Good evening, Clear,” Ren said. Clear’s eyebrows raised, his face falling slack. He recognized that voice. </p><p> Clear looked back at Aoba, then back at Ren. He felt a strange, overwhelming feeling build within him. He didn’t understand it. He couldn’t explain, but he needed to get home as soon as possible. Clear closed his eyes and bowed slightly to them. </p><p> “I’m sorry, I will have to cook another night,” Clear said and turned on the heel of his boot. </p><p> “Clear?” Aoba said, reaching out after him, but Clear had already put the daikon back and was gone. </p><p><br/>
</p><p> “Aoba,” Ren said while holding the basket with a pack of udon noodles and some snacks he wanted to try. Aoba glanced over at him. “I feel like I should hide my face. And my chest hurts.” </p><p> “Oh, are you feeling embarrassed? Did Clear hurt your feelings?” Aoba asked, looking compassionately at Ren. Clear’s reaction had taken them both off guard, but Aoba thought he understood why. It’d been one of the reasons he’d been waiting to introduce Ren to Clear. </p><p> “Do you think Clear doesn’t like me because I’m human now?” Ren asked. The cashier gave them a funny look but went back to bagging their groceries. </p><p> “We can talk about it when we get home,” Aoba said quietly and gave him a reassuring pat on the back. “He may have just been surprised. I’m sure he’ll come around. It wasn’t your fault.” </p><p> Ren knitted his brows together, thinking a moment. </p><p> “Then…why do I feel so bad?” </p><p><br/>
</p><p> Clear visited his grandfather’s grave. He brought fresh flowers for the vase and cleared the dead leaves from the grave. He sat down and looked out over the ocean. </p><p> Life had been far simpler when someone told him what to do. In the beginning, it’d been Toue. But when his grandfather took him in, Clear was restless. He awaited orders, but orders never came. That was except for when his grandfather asked for help cooking or cleaning, which Clear wholly dedicated himself to. If he was not stopped, as his grandfather discovered, Clear would keep cooking until the entire pantry was emptied out. </p><p> “Why don’t you get a hobby?” His grandfather suggested while trying to find a spot in the refrigerator to pack away the leftovers from another one of Clear’s cooking sprees. </p><p> “Hobby? Where can I get that?” Clear asked, taking the perceived order seriously. His grandfather smiled. </p><p> “A hobby’s something you do to pass the time. It’s something you do for your own pleasure,” his grandfather said. </p><p> “My own pleasure?” Clear thought aloud. “But… I find pleasure in doing well in what you tell me to do.” His grandfather shook his head. </p><p> “It’s something only for you. You know how I enjoy fishing?” His grandfather asked. </p><p> “Yes.” </p><p> “You should find something like that for yourself,” his grandfather said. </p><p> “I…” Clear started to say, but his voice fell. He wasn’t sure what his grandfather was getting at. His grandfather put his hand on Clear’s shoulder and looked at Clear through his gasmask. </p><p> “You don’t have to force it. When you find something you love, you’ll know,” he said and patted his back. </p><p> Clear smiled at the bittersweet memory. He remembered the sea glass he’d collected that morning. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the large blue one. Clear turned it over in his hand, struck by its beautiful blue color. Clear paused; he’d realized it was the same shade of blue as Ren’s hair. <i>When you find something you love, you’ll know.</i> </p><p><br/>
</p><p> Ren and Aoba were having tea in the living room after dinner. Granny sat at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee. Ren still looked unhappy, Aoba noticed and his heart went out to him. Only those closest to them knew that Ren used to be an AllMate, and though it was shocking at first, they came around given enough time. Ren was charming and easy to like, so that didn’t surprise Aoba. But he had yet to see a reaction like Clear’s. Aoba suspected why Clear had reacted the way he had, but Ren seemed to have taken it personally. </p><p> “Ren, most people have insecurities. Something about themselves they don’t like and wish they could change. And when they’re confronted with their insecurity, they may get upset. Does that make sense?” Aoba asked. Ren was still crestfallen, but he nodded, nonetheless. </p><p> “So, Clear running away earlier really had nothing to do with you,” Aoba said. Ren looked at him but kept quiet. “Clear wishes he was human and seeing that you became human probably made him jealous, or something like that. So, it’s not your fault,” Aoba said. </p><p> “I feel like I did something wrong,” Ren admitted. </p><p> “You didn’t. In this case, it’s more like… Clear hurt himself,” Aoba struggle to explain it in a way that would make sense to Ren. Human emotions were still difficult for him to decode. </p><p> “Then, I want to talk to him. I want to explain what happened and see if I can change his mind,” Ren said with determination in his voice. Aoba smiled a little. It was interesting to see Ren take this kind of initiative. Normally he only did what he was told to do. </p><p> “Alright, we can go in the morning, but it’s supposed to storm tomorrow-”</p><p> “No,” Ren said. </p><p> “Huh?” Aoba was taken aback by Ren’s sudden objection. </p><p> “I’m sorry, Aoba, but I feel I should go alone. I want to apologize for surprising him and… I want to talk to him,” Ren said. “I don’t understand why, but I feel it’s something I should do.” Aoba was surprised, but then he chuckled and grinned understandably. </p><p> “Sure, just be careful. Keep an eye on the weather and try to get back before the storm starts.” </p><p> “Ah.” </p><p><br/>
</p><p> The next morning the sky was grey and dreary. The wind was picking up and it was much colder than it had been yesterday. Clear knew the sudden temperature change would cause a storm. The wind was stirring up the ocean and the waves slapped against the shore. He decided to head home before it started raining. </p><p> When he got home the storm had already began. His umbrella was useless against the torrential rain, but his lab coat mostly kept him dry. Then he saw someone hunkered on the porch. They were trying to shield themselves from the wind; they had their hood pulled up and were clutching it tightly with their hands. Clear ran closer and stopped when he saw who it was. </p><p> “Ren?” </p><p> Ren looked up at him from under his coat. He was soaked and shivering. </p><p> “What are you doing here?” Clear said and climbed the porch steps. “Here, let’s go inside,” Clear said and opened the door. Once indoors, Ren shed his soaked jacket, crossed his arms and tucked his fingers in his armpits. Ren’s cheeks and nose were red from the cold. </p><p> “I…I came to see you to apologize for yesterday. But you weren’t home, so I thought I’d wait for you, but then the storm started,” Ren said, his teeth chattering. Ren’s almost grey pallor was worrying. Since it was just Clear living here, he’d had no need for heat. It would be a while for the heat to turn up, that was if it still worked. But he would deal with that when he got to it. The first order of business was for Clear to get him out of those wet clothes. Clear, tugged on Ren’s shirt, trying to pull it over his head. </p><p> “What are you doing?!” Ren said, suddenly alarmed. </p><p> “You’re losing more body heat by being wet, we have to get you out of those clothes,” Clear said. Ren’s cheeks had already been red, but he was blushing for a different reason now. He knew Clear was correct, so he let Clear strip him until he was standing there in nothing but his necklace. </p><p> Ren wasn’t sure what he should cover. He settled on having a hand over his face and one over his crotch. </p><p> “I’ll try turning on the thermostat, but let’s put you in front of the oven in the meantime,” Clear said. </p><p> Clear led him by the arm that Ren had been using to hide his privates. He ducked his head, avoiding looking at Clear. This certainly hadn’t been what he was expecting when he had resolved to come here yesterday. </p><p> Clear opened the oven door and turned it on. </p><p> “I’ll run upstairs and grab a blanket,” Clear positioned a chair in front of the oven for Ren to sit on. Ren nodded silently; his hair dripped on his face. “Oh, I’ll get a towel too!” And then Clear darted upstairs. </p><p> Ren was shivering violently, but he could feel the warmth coming from the oven. He sat close to it and crossed his legs, trying in some small way to maintain his dignity. He knew Clear was acting logically, but for some reason, he didn’t want to act logically right now. He thought he now understood what it meant when people said they could just die of embarrassment.  </p><p> He heard Clear’s footsteps coming back down the stairs. </p><p> “Here you go,” he said and draped the blanket around him. Clear took the towel and started drying Ren’s hair for him. “Are you feeling okay, Ren-san?” </p><p> Ren swallowed and murmured a small, “Yes.” Thanks to the heat coming from the oven, he wasn’t shaking as badly as he was before. He was glad for Clear’s consideration at drying his hair for him, but it made him feel odd. It gave him a weird sensation in his stomach. Perhaps he was coming down with a cold. </p><p> “Ren-san,” Clear said after feeling he’d sufficiently dried Ren’s hair. “Did you say you came here to apologize to me?” He asked and crouched by Ren’s side. Clear peered unabashedly into Ren’s face. Ren instinctively turned away. </p><p> “Yes. I wanted to apologize for upsetting you yesterday,” Ren said. Clear cocked his head to the side. </p><p> “Upsetting me? You didn’t upset me,” Clear said. He grabbed a chair and pulled up next to Ren. </p><p> “Then, why did you run when you saw me?” Ren asked. Clear smiled sheepishly. </p><p> “Oh, well. I was surprised, but there was another reason. I have a lot of questions about how you became human. But when I saw you and heard you speak, I just knew I loved you,” Clear smiled cheekily. “I wanted to learn how to make you fall in love with me, so I spent all night reading love advice from magazines.” </p><p> “You…what?” Ren said. Ren blinked. He felt is if Clear had just yanked the rug out from under him. There was so much to unpack. Aoba had been way off in his guess as to why Clear had ran. Clear… loved him? </p><p> “So, what sports do you like, Ren-san?” Clear asked, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin on them. </p><p> “Um,” Ren’s mind was still reeling. He didn’t know how to act. He looked at the floor and scratched the back of his head, “I don’t think I’ve played any sports.” Ren said, but Clear still looked like he was waiting for an answer. Ren squirmed, adding, “I think maybe I would like tennis.” </p><p> “Oh, is that so? That’s fascinating, Ren-san,” Clear fluttered his eyelashes. He tried to think back to what else that article on how to make a shy guy fall for you said. “What about hobbies?” Ren thought seriously for a moment. It was getting warm and the blanket around his shoulders was slipping downwards without him realizing. </p><p> “I… don’t think I have a hobby. I sleep, help granny with cooking and chores, and I do my rehab work,” Ren said. Clear shot up straight in his chair. </p><p> “Everyone should have a hobby! My grandfather said it’s an important way to enrich your life! I’m surprised Aoba-san…” Clear stopped, realizing something. </p><p> “Oh, no…” Clear said, “Aoba-san. He must be expecting you to come home?” Ren’s jaw fell open, the thought just occurring to him too. </p><p> “He must be worried about me. I should head home before it gets dark,” he said, standing up and holding the blanket around his waist. Clear stood too. </p><p> “It’s too dangerous for you to go out there now,” Clear said. The wind howled outside, and rain splattered against the windows. Ren looked conflicted. He knew Clear was right, but he couldn’t risk Aoba going out in the storm to look for him. </p><p> “Wait, I got it. My grandfather had a computer in his room. Can you message Aoba that way?” Clear asked. </p><p> “I could email him,” Ren said. </p><p> “Alright, let’s do that,” Clear said. </p><p><br/>
</p><p> Ren was careful not to trip on the blanket as they made their way upstairs. </p><p> Clear led him through the carpeted hallway and stopped in front of a door. He hesitated. He hadn’t gone in this room since his grandfather had passed. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open. </p><p> Everything was exactly as he remembered it, except now it was covered in a thick layer of dust. Clear tried the power button on the computer and it booted up despite being unused for so long. Clear forced a smile. </p><p> “Alright, let Aoba-san know you’re safe and that I’ll take you home in the morning,” Clear said. </p><p> “The morning!” Ren said. It was still fairly early in the day. He hadn’t planned on staying here that long, let alone spend the night. </p><p> “Well, the storm isn’t supposed to end until sometime tonight, and I don’t want to take you back out there until it’s warmer. Besides, your clothes won’t be dry until tomorrow,” Clear said. Ren pressed his lips together. Now he was understanding why Aoba sometimes got frustrated with him when he had been the voice of reason. Now, here he was, being the unreasonable one. What about being around Clear made him feel so uneasy right now? Was it the sudden love confession? </p><p> Ren conceded and messaged Aoba. Aoba had been panicking and was relieved to find out he was okay and agreed that it would be best if he stayed with Clear tonight. Ren sighed. He looked down at his lap. He at least wanted something to wear while he was here. 
	</p><p> After turning off the computer, Ren cleared his throat. </p><p> “Clear,” he said.  </p><p> “Yes, Ren-san?” Clear said, perking up attentively. Ren rubbed the back of his neck. </p><p> “Could I… borrow some clothes while mine are drying?” He asked. Clear’s brow furrowed. </p><p> “I don’t think any of my grandfather’s clothes would fit you- you’re much more muscular than he was,” Clear said and Ren’s face burned from his bluntness. “You could try on some of my clothes,” Clear offered. Ren agreed and followed him into his room. </p><p><br/>
</p><p> Thankfully, the heating in the house worked. It was toasty inside and Clear was whipping up something for Ren to eat. Since he usually didn’t cook much for himself, the selection was more meager than he would have liked it to be, but Ren didn’t complain. He was contently digging into a stack of pancakes that Clear had prepared. Something about this felt nostalgic. It had been a long time since the house was warm and the kitchen was full of delicious smells. He was almost expecting his grandfather to come downstairs. Clear expected to feel the usual twinge of pain in his chest whenever a memory of his grandfather resurfaced, but it didn’t come. In fact, he found himself smiling. </p><p> “Would you like another one?” Clear asked looking back at Ren. Ren was wearing one of his shirts and a pair of his pants. The shirt lay just a tad higher on Ren’s midriff than it did on Clear. </p><p> “If it’s no trouble,” Ren said. His hair was dried and his skin, though still fair, looked much healthier than it did when he first arrived. </p><p> “No trouble at all!” Clear said and happily hummed to himself while he poured more batter in the pan. </p><p><br/>
</p><p> After the meal, Ren told Clear about how he came to be human and who the owner of his body had been. Clear listened with rapt attention at first, but found that as Ren told his story, his mind was dwelling on other things. Like how easily Ren had opened up to him after he’d been fed. Clear supposed that the magazines were right- the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. Or how he liked the low tenor of Ren’s voice. And he couldn’t help wondering what Ren thought about him. </p><p> By the time Ren had finished his story, he had more or less brought Clear up to that day. Ren was a little hurt that Clear hadn’t asked any questions like he had expected him to. It almost seemed that his unbelievable journey of being Aoba’s subconscious in an AllMate and then taking over Aoba’s twin brother’s body was uninteresting. Ren felt self-conscious and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. </p><p> “I’m sorry if I did not relay the story well,” Ren said. Clear looked perplexed and shook his head. </p><p> “No, no. You told it wonderfully, Ren-san. I guess… I’m just more interested in the person you are now than who you used to be,” Clear said. </p><p> “What?” Ren said. Clear thought for a moment, then dug in his pockets to pull out the blue sea glass piece he’d been carrying. </p><p> “Would you like to know my hobby?” </p><p> Ren was taken aback by the sudden change in conversation, but he nodded. </p><p> “I collect glass. For a longtime I didn’t think I could find a hobby I liked. But I realized I already had one. When I went for walks, I just couldn’t stop myself from bringing some form of glass home. They remind me of jellyfish,” Clear said, gesturing at the kitchen table. Ren saw a lovely display of ornate glass bowls with colorful designs. He was suddenly aware that there was glass all over the kitchen of all different colors and shapes. He hadn’t noticed before because his mind had been elsewhere. </p><p> “It’s… very beautiful,” Ren said, looking in awe at the glittering displays. Clear felt a little shy at that comment. He held his hand out with the blue sea glass resting in his palm. </p><p> “And this? It is very beautiful too, isn’t it?” Clear asked. Ren picked it up and admired it. The light from the lamp overhead made it look as if it were glowing. </p><p> “It is,” Ren said and handed it back to Clear. </p><p> “This is glass too. It may have come from a bottle, a drinking glass, or window. At some point it broke and made its way into the ocean. Over many years, it traveled to the shore of a beach, and there it was polished by the waves. And it became what it is today. It could have been any ordinary object before, and no one would have given it a second glance. But it’s been transformed into something new that doesn’t exist anywhere else. It’s more unique and precious than it ever was before,” Clear said. Ren looked down at his hands resting on the table. Clear noted the pink in his ears. </p><p> “Ren, if you were still apart of Aoba, or in the AllMate, I couldn’t love you as much as I do right now,” Clear leaned forward and cupped Ren’s cheek in his hand. “In my eyes, you’re perfect as you are, no matter what journey it took for you to get here.” </p>
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